Delta residents have shown their kindness to Kindness Meters.
To make it a little easier for the public to help local non-profits, last fall, colourful former street pay parking meters were installed at various locations.
The city initiative is a partnership with the Delta School District, Delta's Community Resilience and Economic Recovery Support Team (CRERST) and the Delta Community Foundation.
The double-headed parking meters were obtained from another municipality to collect spare change for local service groups.
To promote and encourage youth engagement and public art, local high school student artists were invited to design and paint the meters while incorporating the themes “We Love Delta” and “kindness”.
The meters are located at Sungod Recreation Centre, North Delta Arts Centre, Ladner Village, City Hall and the Tsawwassen Town Centre.
A recent staff report to council notes that in the first three months more than $1,300 in spare change was collected from the meters.
In late December, the Delta Community Foundation dispersed $800 from the Kindness Meter Fund to support Delta's Extreme Weather Shelters in North Delta and Ladner through several cold weather events.
The report notes that staff will be moving the meter heads in May in order to showcase the art at different locations across Delta.
Staff will also work with the Delta Community Foundation to determine if any meters need to be relocated to higher traffic areas.
